1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of detecting bacteria and other microorganisms present in a gaseous medium, generally either air in a location it is important to monitor, such as a hospital operating room, or air or another gas into which liquid particles have been injected by aerosol techniques.
Often it is desirable to continuously monitor or screen the levels of bacteria existing in a particular location or substance. Hospitals, in operating rooms and nurseries, are occasionally plagued by outbreaks of staphlococcus and other bacteria and the early detection of the existence of these microorganisms will aid in their solution. Continuous monitoring of a hospital operating room, for example, would show at what time during the day hostile microorganisms became present. Correlating this information with information as to which patient was present at that time will permit the problem to be rapidly narrowed down and solved.
Additionally, it is often desirable to be able to steadily monitor liquid bacteria levels, e.g., as a check upon water pollution.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Devices and methods for monitoring or screening bacteria and other microorganisms are known. Examples of such devices and methods are found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,128,239 to Page, U.S. Pat. No. 3,127,329 to Andersen, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,894,877 to Sinden. Such devices have not been altogether satisfactory for automatically monitoring the existence of bacteria on a continuing basis in a variety of situations. The known devices, primarily being manual laboratory devices, are not convenient to use and adaptable to a wide variety of circumstances which may be encountered, and generally include complicated or cumbersome apparatus ill suited for inconspicuous placement as a monitoring device.